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- Assembly writes Chief Judge to set up panel
- Four lawmakers rescind call for political solution
- Ijaw legislators rule out ethnic sentiment
From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Rivers State House of Assembly has vowed to proceed with the impeachment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu.
This is even as the four members of the Assembly who had called for a political solution to address the face-off between the lawmakers and the governor have rescinded their earlier call and supported the impeachment move of Fubara and Odu.
The House of Assembly, at the resumption of plenary on Friday, resolved to forward a request for the investigation of impeachment allegations against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Odu, to the State Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, for the constitution of a seven-member investigative panel.
It passed a resolution requesting the state’s chief judge to investigate Fubara and his deputy, Odu, over allegations bordering on gross misconduct.
The decision was taken during plenary on Friday, with 26 lawmakers voting in favour of the motion to forward the matter to the chief judge for further probe, in line with Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The allegations against the governor and his deputy include budgetary impropriety, failure to present the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the Assembly, unauthorised expenditure of public funds, withholding of statutory allocations to the legislature, and other acts deemed to constitute gross misconduct.
Martin Amaewhule, speaker of the House, who presided over the session, directed the clerk of the House to formally write to the chief judge within the stipulated timeframe to constitute a seven-member investigative panel to examine the allegations.
The development marks the next procedural step in the ongoing impeachment proceedings initiated on January 8, when the assembly served notices on Fubara and Odu.
Briefing journalists earlier, Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, accused the governor and his deputy of employing social media to make a caricature of the House of Assembly and the lawmakers instead of looking for a way to resolve the constitutional infringements.
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Maol said that while the Assembly was soliciting the intervention of elders of the state, the governor used derogatory language against the Assembly.
He maintained that the Assembly, having observed the governor’s unwillingness to respect the legislative arm of the government, would carry out the impeachment and urged the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, to reconvene the plenary.
Also, briefing journalists, the Minority Leader of the House, Sylvanus Nwankwo, representing Omuma State Constituency, and Peter Abbey, representing Degema State Constituency, had recently announced their withdrawal from the impeachment move and appealed to their colleagues to halt it, made a U-turn.
Similarly, the Deputy Minority Leader, Barile Nwakoh, who represents Khana Constituency I, and Emilia Amadi, who represents Obio/Akpor Constituency II, followed suit, and had appealed for a political solution, withdrew the call and supported the impeachment process.
The Assembly maintained that its action is based on the constitution of the federation and should not be misinterpreted.
Specifically, the Assembly members from the Ijaw ethnic nationality have dismissed ethnic coloration to the decision of the Assembly.
The lawmakers who spoke individually condemned the sentiment from some quarters attached to the impeachment stance.
Among the Ijaw lawmakers, Major Jack (Major Leader) and Alabo Enemies George, Chairman, House Committee on Information, stressed that ethnicity or tribalism has no place in legislative duties.
George stated, “It is an anomaly to turn constitutional matters to mere tribalism and ethnicity.
“If we do not save democracy, we will be swallowed by bad government.
“You don’t mix politics with sentiment. The governor has erred and should be impeached.”
The House of Assembly, however, thanked President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to the peace and progress of the state.
